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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 10 · Chapter 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon

10.15.33 10.15.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.34

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The cowherd boyssince 10.15.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बलस्य लीलयोत्सृष्टखरदेहहताहता: ।

तालाश्चकम्पिरे सर्वे महावातेरिता इव ॥ ३४ ॥

balasya līlayotsṛṣṭa-

khara-deha-hatāhatāḥ

tālāś cakampire sarve

mahā-vāteritā iva

Translation

Because of Lord Balarāma’s pastime of throwing the body of the ass demon into the top of the tallest palm tree, all the trees began shaking and striking against one another as if blown about by powerful winds.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Balarāma’s Pastime Shakes the Forest

1
Throwing the ass demon’s body into the tallest palm tree was a pastime of Lord Balarāma.
2
The palm trees began shaking and striking against one another.
3
The movement of all the trees resembled the effect of powerful winds.

How it feels

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Arriving at the Tālavana, Lord Balarāma shook many fruits out of the palm trees, and as soon as He did so the jackass demon, Dhenuka, ran swiftly to attack Him. But Balarāma grabbed his hind legs with one hand, whirled him around and threw him into the top of a tree, thus slaying him.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.15